Introducing the first two eBooks in the "Quick and Dirty" Hiking Guides co-authored with Cam Honan of The Hiking Life. Read More ...

Continue reading Introducing the Quick and Dirty Hiking Guides at PMags.com.

Another backpacking fundamentals course I assisted on with Andrew Skurka.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I work as an IT Monkey to pay the bills. What started off as a way to save money between hikes turned into a career.

It is not my passion.  I just think logically and analytically.  And I am reasonably good at what I do.

Working in technology will never inspire me the way putting together the perfect lasagna and sharing it with friends will, wandering the site of an ancient battle and thinking “Here’s a focal point of history!” (while my German national someone sweetly points out that some of her distant ancestors may very well have massacred some of mine!) and, of course, the time spent in the wilds.

Technology is my vocation.  Cooking, history and the outdoors are avocations.

One pays the bills.

Continue reading Tromping in the Basin – Skurka Backpacking Fundamentals Trip at PMags.com.

A wonderful trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. I again assisted Andrew Skurka.

Fall is a sacred time for me.

There is no hyperbole in that statement.

It is the time of the year when I need to be outside. To embrace the chill of the autumn night and revel in crisp air of the autumn day.

The aspen are ablaze in yellow and the ground is covered in a mix of pale yellow and russet-colored leaves. There is the slight smell of damp leaves underfoot mixed in with the sharp smell of pine needles.

Seems as if nature is making one final push to reveal her splendor before winter sets in.

Perhaps it is an overly romantic view of this time of the year. But it is a time of the year I embrace. A season I look forward to every year. And it is when I seem to enjoy the outdoors the most.

Continue reading Fall in the Park at PMags.com.

An overnight backpacking trip to Comanche Peak Wilderness and northern Rocky Mountain National Park

The Mummy Range is my favorite range of mountains  in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Remote feeling, aesthetically pleasing, wonderful for off-trail hiking and a little of the beaten path vs other parts of the park and nearby areas.

I had to work the 5th of July,so  I decided to do a quick overnighter and explore the very northern part of this range via the Comanche Peak Wilderness near Pingree Park.

My original plan was to hike up to Stormy Peaks Pass, hike along the ridge to Comanche Peak and then  down to some lakes and back to the car.

Alas, the (possible) weather changed the route but it was still a very satisfying backpacking trip.

The morning started a little later than intended as well. But sometimes enjoy a relaxing morning with your someone, talking and drinking coffee is sometimes even more important than backpacking.

Continue reading Mummy Wanderings – Comanche Peak Wilderness at PMags.com.

Winter backpacking and ski touring with Andrew Skurka in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Winter backpacking is challenging.

What are routine chores during summer trips are more difficult and time consuming in winter.

Making dinner requires melting snow and using more fuel.  Setting up a snow worthy shelter takes time to get the shelter taut and packing down the snow-covered ground just right.

Managing layers of clothing just right so that you are both warm  and  dry.

But the rewards for winter backpacking are many: Mountains framed by swirling snow and dark skies.  The cold air seeming to make everything around a bit more sharp. A place that is crowded in the summer takes on the aspects of remote wilderness.

Learning the skills and techniques to enjoy winter backpacking can be a matter of trail and error. Fumbling around and trying not to mess up too much.

Continue reading Winter In the Park – Andrew Skurka’s Winter Backpacking Trip at PMags.com.

A classic lollipop hike from Bear Lake to Grand Lake and back one fine Fall weekend.

As an impending marriage approaches, there are certain rituals that are done. The wedding site and reception place booked.  Lodging for the guests. "Catering"  prepared. And invitations sent out.  If you clicked on the links, you'll see that it is a very grass roots affair.  A ceremony in the aspen grove with a cook-out after.

Simple. In the foothills of Colorado. And something that reflects the values that someone and I hold. Where community, simplicity and the outdoors can all be had and enjoyed in one memorable and happy day.

Part of this ritual is the bachelor party. At thirty-eight years old, the typical bachelor party did not appeal to me.  Spending lots of money to watch a sea of jiggling silicone while doing shooters of mutli-colored shots is really not something an idea that enthralled me.

Continue reading Bachelor Party on Foot – Bear Lake to Grand Lake and Back at PMags.com.

Three days and two nights assisting Andrew Skurka with his backpacking trip in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Over the years, I’ve become a competent outdoors person.  Can read a map and hike off trail. Identify wildflowers. Have a good feel for what makes a great campsite and have a few tricks and tips I can always share with other people.  Besides the miles I’ve put on backpacking trips over years, be they weekend adventures or multi-month journeys, also been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to dive into backcountry skiing and dabble with alpine climbing.

Having many friends who have a similar passion for the outdoors, and an equal amount of experience, I’ve always considered myself more lucky than anything in terms of my outdoor experience and skill set.  Had the time, money saved and opportunities to enjoy the outdoors for an extended period of time and learn some things along the way.

Continue reading Backpacking in the Basin – Andrew Skurka’s RMNP Trip at PMags.com.

Interested in backpacking in Colorado and want to explore one of the least visited parts of Rocky Mountain National Park? And learn some new skills in the process?

Andrew Skurka will be guiding a 3 day backpacking trip in Rocky Mountain National Park this August and I will be assisting.

Less expensive than comparable trip from NOLS and being headed by one of the most well known and experienced outdoors person currently active (Andrew; not me. 😉 )

A great way to backpack in Colorado. Avoid some of the pre-trip planning some people do not care for in addition to hiking with some very experienced guides.

Check it out if it sounds like something that may interest you.

Continue reading Shameless Plug: Guided Trip in Rocky Mountain National Park at PMags.com.

“A man needs a little madness….”  -Nikos Kazantzakis

Saturday Aug 6th was spent doing mundane chores needed for my vastly expanding ‘grown-up’ life:  Oil changes, tires, errands, this and that.  All things I neglected doing the decidedly non-responsible things that make life so much richer (name, spending a week in the Colorado backcountry). But all ‘adult’ things that need to be done no matter how non-fun they are.

I still wanted a hike Sunday, though. Or I should say  NEEDED IT.   When I don’t have my backcountry experience, I get quite cranky and irritable to put it bluntly. More so than in the past.

Perhaps I am starting to recognize I have real responsibilities now (admitting to having a career, starting a life with someone, planning for a future and so on) and have a job that also is a non-stop pace too often. The job situation I hope to  will change at some point (assuming my plans pan out), but for now, I need the escape valve of the backcountry.

Continue reading A Little Madness – Chiquita, Ypsilon and Fay Lakes at PMags.com.

someone and I did a short hike on the Beaver Meadows loop in Rocky Mountain National Park.  A short, but enjoyable hike on a Sunday afternoon. Widflowers and wildlife abounded. And only two people were spotted!

The recent fires in New Mexico and Arizona caused the horizon to be smoky and the air to have a whiff of smoke.

But the abundant early season of wildflowers of larkspur, golden banner and pasque flower were amazing to say the least!

Along the way, we saw a herd of elk:

As we came closer to the trail head, we saw exclosures protecting the riparian habitat from the (too!) numerous elk herd in the park.

All in all, a nice little relaxing hike.

Continue reading Tip Toe Through The Pasque Flowers at PMags.com.